D-blog day 4 post - My miracle device

My miracle device It would be normal for a diabetic, or parent of a diabetic to want the invention of a new device for the treatment of diabetes. They would want a constant glucose monitor that would seamlessly communicate with an insulin pump in real time. They would want that CGM to be accurate to within +\- 5 points (I'm reasonable, right). This glorious unit would be the size of a small bandaid, so that it would not cause undo attention. The sensors involved would only need to be replaced every six months, but would not be susceptible to infection. That is what most people would want. Me? I want a new microscopic transmitter that looks like Donald Trump and is directly injected into the pancreas. Its only function would be to tell the pancreas to do its job or it will be fired. That what I want!

D-blog Day 3 - What needs work?

Do it because it's good for you! I hated to read when I was a child. I grew up in the 80's, so I was in love with the tv. My Mom tried everything to get me interested in reading. Finally, when I was in the fifth grade I entered into a bet with my parents. The deal was that I had to go an entire year without watching tv and in return I would get $500. That was a lot of money to an 11 year old. The first month was hard, but then Mom started taking me to the library every week. Boredom vanished and I discovered a love for reading that has never disappeared. It is hard to realize that something that is good for you can have such benefits.

D-blog week 2012: Post 2

I came across a post that said that this was Diabetes blog week. A different topic every day. I posted yesterday, but I am going to try their topics for the rest of the week. Today is: What I rock? I rock the role (hehe) of being an ambassador for type 1 diabetes. Wherever I am found, it is very likely that I am having a conversation somehow related to diabetes. Case in point. I went to a work conference last week when someone noticed me testing right before lunch. I answered a few questions and the next thing I know, I had rattled on for 30 minutes on counting carbs and the benefits of pumping. Now, I was at a meeting for therapy managers who work with a geriatric population, so they were somewhat interested in diabetes. I have had conversations in restaurants, grocery stores and the gym. What is funny is that when I was first diagnosed at 26 years old, I never wanted to talk about it. I didn't want anyone to know that I was diabetic. In fact, I didn't act like I had diabetes at all. I became a champion of diabetes education a little over two years ago. That was when my then 11 month old son was diagnosed. We almost lost him, and that was more than enough of a wake up call to change my view on diabetes. Now I am pumping and doing everything I can to put diabetes in its place. I have type 1 and I rock diabetes on a daily basis!

What can you do in your sleep?

What can you do in your sleep? You are always hearing the random case of sleep walking in your sleep. There are always the crazy stories about someone doing something ridiculous and blaming it on sleep walking. Then there are the people that talk in their sleep. That is just asking for trouble. I have had conversations with my wife while she was sleeping. Full blown conversations that she doesn't remember in the morning. (I promise that she told me she wanted me to skip work and play golf that day :) Anyway, these are all intriguing talents, but there is one that is more impressive. The act of eating in your sleep. 

Swing Low, Sweet...Nope. Nothing sweet about lows!

Ok, lows are not my friend. Joshua has been consistently low for more than a week. Last weekend at his brother's baseball game, Joshua was in the 50's. Shannon gave home about 150 carbs and he still didn't go over 100. We struggled with it all night. With a little help from a friend, we decided to do a zero temp basal for 3 hours. We checked him at 3:00 am and he was a respectable 179 with arrows up on Dex. So we resumed his normal basal thinking all was good. At wake up, he was 62. This has been a struggle all week long. Shannon took him to his normal endo appointment and the doc said she thought he probably had some sort of intestinal virus. A week later, he is low again today. Are some batches of insulin stronger? Is he cured :) I just wish diabetes would pick a script and stick to it!

So much to say!

Well, it has obviously been a while since my last post. A good deal of stuff has happened since then. I took a new job that uprooted us from our home and support system. It is a great job (and I've already been promoted), but it was hard to leave. The newest bit of information is that I started on the Omnipod pump system. I started mine about two weeks after my two year old started. Oh boy am I going to have some stories about that. It has been great so far though. The first real post I am working on has to do with the BG of 28 that I saw last week. That was scary. Hope to get consistent on here again. I have missed the outlet.

Request for seven things about me

So, Shannon posted on her blog seven things about herself in reply to a nomination she received. Then she asked me to do the same. I guess I put it off because I didn't figure that anyone would really want to know about me. However, she asked and is something that I can do for her. So read if you like, or skip it if you are so inclined. Up to you.

1. I have never lived anywhere other than the state of Virginia. The state of confusion doesn't count (although I have dual residency). I grew up in Spotsylvania outside of Fredericksburg. I went to school at Longwood College in Farmville, which coincidentally is where I met Shannon. Right after school I moved to Front Royal for my first year of working in the schools. I have lived in Chesapeake ever since.

2. Peter Pan is my hero. I am a kid at heart. I love to play video games. I really enjoy playing airsoft with my nephews and brother in law. It is a great release for me. I believe in magic. No really, it's out there. We just don't look closely enough :)

3. I have always wanted to be a writer. I have written several children's books which are housed safely in my journal. I have an ongoing book of poetry, which at last check had about 60-70 poems in it. I have started numerous novels before getting caught up on everyday life and not working on them again. One day i will sit down and write one of the many stories in my head. Even if it's just for me.

4. I am a speech pathologist working as a specialist with a school devision which caters almost predominantly to children with autism. Years ago i would have told you that this was the last place I would want to work. It just wasn't an interest for me. I was fortunate to be forced, through lack of options, to take a job here. I have never looked back. I love the kids that I get to work with. I feel like i am making a difference. Now i spend more time shaping the clinicians i have on my team, but i like sharing that knowledge as well.

5. I have two very strange obsessions. I collect man bags and pens. I call these obsessions because they really don't make sense. Unique and beautiful pens have always been a weakness. I especially love hand turned, wooden pens. It's hard to explain. The bag issue is just as strange. I use multiple bags on a daily basis out of necessity. I have to be able to carry my laptop, paperwork, and all therapy materials to all of the schools i go to. So whenever i see a bag in the store, i am always thinking of ways i can use it, and why it is better than the bags i already own. It's a sickness. I know.

6. I have a not so secret desire to go back to school to get my Ph.D. I have known for years that it was something that I wanted to do. In grad school i led a study group for several of our classmates. They were always saying that I was able to explain concepts in a way that made sense. More often than not, information wasn't understood until I re-explained it. That was a big compliment for me, and I thought from that point on that I would loke to teach at the college level.

7. I have wanted to be many things in my lifetime. The list is long but includes a firefighter, FBI agent, lawyer, doctor, actor, writer, teacher, college professor, Military officer, lifeguard, and pilot to name a few. The one thing that i have known I wanted to be for many years that actually stuck was a Father. My boys are incredible. It helps that they have an incredible Mother. To look at them and imaging all of the accomplishments that they will have in their lifetime is wonderful. I love racing cars and serving as a mountain to climb on. I love teaching them about sports, and animals, and art. It is a scary thought that Shannon and I are shaping them into the men that they will become, but i know that I will be so proud of them. No matter what.

So there are some facts about me. Take from it what you will. I like being me :)